Fasting....But Can't Turn Away
I'm fasting today...don't ask why. But I find myself still coming back to my beloved food blogs, pictures and all. Even received TODAY of all days a cookbook I won from Serious Eats and couldn't put it down. Any suggestions to help me make it thru the next 24 hours with just a liquid diet? I can have broth, jello, popsicles, etc. No dairy. I think it's mind over matter really....I can do it!!!! Need some encouragement from my fellow foodies!!!
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19 Comments:
Well, for one thing, stop hitting the blogs, mags, etc. :-)
I fast quite a bit. I try and do a week or so every 4 months, so am an old hand at this. Day one of a fast is always going to be difficult and requires a certain acceptance that you're gonna suffer a little bit. Hot will make you feel more satisfied than not hot. It's only a day. You'll live. I promise :-D
chisai at 2:55PM on 03/05/09
white wine is a clear liquid. my oh has to do this once in a while and he usually makes do with chicken broth during the day and come evening when he's starving i usually give him a couple glasses of white wine and encourage him to go to bed early.
nightmoon at 2:55PM on 03/05/09
What? If you're tipsy you don't care? Makes sense to me! LOL
arm1970 at 2:58PM on 03/05/09
You can do it!! I drink a heck of a lot of coffee and Crystal Light when I'm trying to stay away from food. The coffee suppresses my appetite for a little while and then the Crystal Light is for sheer quantity sake. I can drink a gallon of it and not feel guilty. Even though you end up going to the bathroom like 50 times, at least you're not in the kitchen!
meem21 at 3:00PM on 03/05/09
Stay away from food related websites - no need to torture yourself. Make yourself some fruit flavored tea and drink it all day. Fat free jello is a good thing to munch if you need something non-liquid. Chewing ice cubes is fun. Try to distract yourself - maybe read a good book or watch some junky TV if you can. And go to sleep early.
laurelie at 3:11PM on 03/05/09
Fasting is not healthy, the body requires nutrition on a regular schedule to operate efficiently.
dmcavanagh at 3:21PM on 03/05/09
Get out of the house and do something non-food related, like a museum or the library. Get off this site. And ditto dmcavanagh's comment above, so I hope this fast is for a legit reason, like you're having a colonoscopy tomorrow or are observing a religious holiday.
Also, if you're allowed juice and popsicles, it sounds like some fancy fruit sorbet might be in order!
Embackus at 3:27PM on 03/05/09
Yes, it's for medical reasons! You guys think I would willingly choose not to eat??!! That's silly!
arm1970 at 3:46PM on 03/05/09
I second the booze!! But seriously....get off here! It's torture for me even when I'm not dieting, much less fasting!
jcrisco at 3:47PM on 03/05/09
I read this study once where they drastically reduced the caloric intake of a group of people. It was a slow process, but as they were getting down in calories there was a ridiculous increase in how much they thought about food, how much they talked about it, how much they talked about recipes. I think it's natural, when depriving your body, to obsessivly think of the things you're depriving it of. I too would recommend staying away from food sites, shows, and books.
Why may I ask, are you fasting?
@Chisai, why do you fast for a week? That sounds crazy hard! Is it healthy?
PumpkinBear at 6:07PM on 03/05/09
@PumpkinBear - I've been doing it forever. Since I was in my late teens. The first couple of days are hard, but after that it's easy. I either do a fruit/veg juice fast or sometimes the Master Cleanse thing. My dad always did it (his was just fruit juice) and when I'd started feeling really, I don't know, sluggish at one point, he suggested it. It worked really well. I felt great. If I felt the least bit sick or whatever, I would definitely stop. My doc, while not entirely thrilled about it, has seen no ill effects from it.
It's part taking some time to get the crap out of my body and part me against me. I feel the need to stress that I have no eating disorders, it's just something I've been doing for over 30 years now. I enjoy the challenge.
chisai at 6:28PM on 03/05/09
Fasting for a week is not healthy. People claim to do it for "detox" or "cleansing" purposes. The body was designed to cleanse itself WITH food in it--that's what your liver is for (among other organs). Not eating for days at a time just messes things up, including your metabolism, which is really hard to get back on track.
PestoGal at 6:30PM on 03/05/09
Guiness beer. It is light in calories then expected and actually healthy for you. Plus it will fill you up.
pjracz10 at 11:39PM on 03/05/09
I am having a procedure done today and was not allowed to eat 24 hours beforehand but honestly, when you're told you can't eat you think of food more than ever!!! Interesting how hostile you guys seemed to take the fasting thing!! Believe me, I too think it is unhealthy to fast for non-medical reasons. Thanks for your thoughts.
arm1970 at 7:14AM on 03/06/09
I had to quit reading cooking magazines on the subway on the way to work for the very same reason - I became so hungry, it was unbearable.
Just hang in there and sustain with your favorite broth and your favorite coffee beverage!
therealchiffonade at 9:22AM on 03/06/09
So if you put a nice rare-medium rare Filet Mignon in a blender and puree it.... does that make it a liquid?
Pavlov at 10:19AM on 03/06/09
Under doctor's suggestion I once did a 3-day fast. I subsisted on broth, tea, water and ice. I didn't even do Jell-O because I had to totally stay away from anything sweet. I'll never forget that during the last hour of my 72-hour fast (10:00 pm), I was poised over the stovetop in my pj's, sauteing up some tilapia and onions. My husband was squawking that I was making the house stink, but I didn't care. As soon as the minute of the last hour ended I sat down and ate that fish like it was the best thing on the planet. And I daresay, at that moment, it was.
Best of luck to you.
juliebugsmama at 10:28AM on 03/06/09
I fast regularly... so this is what I usually have:
Lots of home-made fruit juices - papaya, , beet/lime, coconut water, carrot, freshly squeezed orange juice, grapefruit, etc.
I usually have loads of fresh vegetable salads and fruit salads.
Soups - I actually eat this AFTER i have finished fasting to acclimate the digestive system for foods again... I like brothy vegetable noodle soups like this one.
How about fruit smoothies mixing only fruits and juices...no yogurt or kefir.
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 12:35PM on 03/06/09
If I'm by a computer, I can't not look at food blogs so all I have to say is it's really tough on Passover when I'm craving all sorts of non-kosher things.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 3:13PM on 03/06/09